Bell Bay pellets plant shuts after 6-year TasPorts lease fight
EcoPellets Tasmania closed. TasPorts evicted it from Bell Bay over alleged lease breaches. Seven jobs were lost.
EcoPellets Tasmania was a timber pellets manufacturer run by former Labor senator Shayne Murphy. The business has ceased operations.
TasPorts evicted it from Bell Bay on October 5 after a six-year legal dispute. The company turned wood waste into pellets as an energy source.
It made more than $3 million annually. TasPorts ended the lease in 2021 over building breaches, including an unapproved awning.
The Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that TasPorts could seek repossession. Seven employees lost their jobs.
Murphy said the closure jeopardises a proposed manufacturing investment. It would bring more than $20 million to the industrial area.
- More than $3 million
- Annual turnover
- Seven
- Jobs lost
- $20 million
- Proposed further investment
- October 5, 2026
- Eviction date
Why it mattersJob losses at a profitable regional business reduce investment appeal. This happens during a difficult period for Bell Bay's industrial estate.
AustraliaSeven jobs lost in Tasmania. The closure threatens a $20 million follow-up investment at Bell Bay, already hit by the manganese smelter closure this year.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
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